Two Reasons Why Stanford's Top Draft Prospect is a Fit For the New York Jets

The Jets have a few areas to improve this offseason

Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; The New York Jets logo is projected on the video board during the NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With the NFL Draft still two months away, beginning on Thursday, April 23, there will be plenty of time for conversation on which players the New York Jets will target, and where the few Stanford players that have declared for the draft will be selected.

The most interesting player to keep an eye on for the Cardinal will be tight end Sam Roush, who will be among the best at his position in this year's draft. Roush finished the 2025 campaign with 49 catches for 545 yards and a pair of touchdowns, which ranked among the top draft eligible tight ends, even in what could be considered a down year.

Part of his appeal in April will be that he can not only play a decent-sized role in the receiving game, but his blocking also rates well among the competition. Here are two reasons why the New York Jets make a decent bit of sense for the Stanford tight end in this year's NFL Draft.

Comparing Roush to Mason Taylor

Sep 7, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor (85) reacts to the play during the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Not only did the Jets finish at 3-14 this past season, but they didn't get a ton of production out of their tight ends. Mason Taylor played in 13 games, starting 11, and brought down 44 catches on 65 targets, good for 369 yards and a touchdown.

It would be a fool's errand to compare Taylor in the NFL to Roush playing in the ACC, so let's take a look at how each player performed in their final year of college.

	OFF	PBLK	RBLK
Roush	57.1	68.8	57.6
Taylor (2024)	67.8	69.5	63.9

As we can see, Taylor graded out better across the board in his final year with LSU. We also know that Roush is seen as a prospect that should develop into a starter in the coming years, and has plenty of promise in the skills that require doing the dirty work. That could be a skill set that the Jets may be targeting.

Having both Roush and Taylor would make for an interesting competition in camp, and they could push each other to be better, which would make the team better. They could also work in some two tight end sets, which could help to open up the offense a bit.

The big question here is after pro day, where teams around the NFL will be projecting Roush to be selected. If he's being slotted into a day two pick, which is possible, then perhaps the Jets take a pass on him, focusing on other, bigger areas of need in the earlier rounds.

Yet, if he's available a little bit later, then he could be high on their board on day three for one key reason.

Stanford's connection to the Jets

Oct 21, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal tight end Sam Roush (86) runs after a catch against UCLA Bruins linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo (2) during the third quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

This offseason, former Stanford interim head coach Frank Reich accepted a new role with New York as the team's offensive coordinator. After coaching Roush in the tight end's final season, who would know him better than the offensive coordinator for the Jets?

There is also a good chance that the Jets will be making a change from Justin Fields this winter, and if they do, one player that has been a rumored target just happens to be another former Cardinal—Tanner McKee.

If the Jets end up with McKee in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, then perhaps that would increase the likelihood of them also drafting Roush, banking on the connection between McKee and Roush as former Cardinal, with Reich calling the plays.

The duo were teammates in 2022, but Roush only had two catches in his freshman year. One of them was a 23-yard strike from McKee, while the other was from Ari Patu in garbage time.

If you're looking to build a case for why this move would make sense, it would be that Roush's skills should translate quickly to the NFL, and should see a boost with some professional coaching. Plus, his head coach from last year is now the offensive coordinator of the Jets, which could be a deciding factor.

If the Jets take him, it will likely be because he's fallen in the draft, but they'd be getting a gem if they take him late on day two or day three.